keystone

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/key-battleground-state-gop-see-voter-registration-surge

Keystone State Republicans have added almost 198,000 registered voters to the books since 2016, while Democrats have gained an additional 29,000, Politico reported Thursday.

Democrats still outnumber Republicans by about 750,000 voters in the state, but the percentage of those registered is down two points from September 2016. The percentage of Republicans has risen from 38% to 39%.

Many party officials credit President Trump with narrowing the divide.

An uptick in registrations in three critical areas across Pennsylvania including Erie, Luzerne, and Northampton counties helped Trump to flip the state in 2016, according to Politico; Hillary Clinton lost to him there by less than one percentage point.

Republicans have made the biggest net gains in western Pennsylvania's Westmoreland, Luzerne and Washington counties, Politico said, while Democrats have gained ground in the suburbs around Philadelphia including Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Bucks counties.

While Democrats in the state said that they were not particularly concerned about the increase, Republicans said they have benefitted from the Trump campaign's in-person canvassing.